Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Report Mine Strikes on Two Oil Tankers in Strait of Hormuz

Tehran — Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced Saturday that two oil tankers exploded and caught fire after striking naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway where Tehran has imposed navigation restrictions.

Since hostilities with the United States began in February, Iran has required all vessels to obtain authorization before crossing the strait and has targeted ships that fail to comply.

“A short while ago, two oil tankers that had deactivated their radar and positioning systems attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz via an unauthorized route before striking a naval mine,” the Guards’ navy stated in a broadcast carried by Iranian state media early Saturday. The statement did not identify the vessels or their countries of origin, though it noted that one was a supertanker.

In response to Iran’s disruption of the strategic shipping lane, the United States has instituted a naval blockade of Iranian ports and provides military escorts for tankers transiting the waterway.

Iranian military officials have reported multiple fires and explosions aboard vessels in the strait in recent weeks, frequently attributing the incidents to naval mines. On Friday, the Guards released footage showing a large plume of smoke rising from a liquefied gas carrier that allegedly struck a mine in the southern portion of the strait.

U.S. military officials, however, maintain that the primary shipping routes through the waterway have been cleared of mines.

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